Company which allegedly hid same-sex wedding cards told to ‘drag your arses into 2017’

A card shop has apologised after a customer accused it of hiding its same-sex wedding cards.

Gaynor Daw, 41, took to social media after her attempts to buy a card for her gay friends’ wedding took an unfortunate turn.

The midwife complained that a shop assistant had removed all same-sex cards from the Card Factory store in Leeds, placing them in the back – away from where customers could see them.

She wrote that she was “absolutely appalled” by the incident.

“I asked where the same-gender wedding cards were kept and the young shop assistant went off into the back to find them,” she added.

“When I asked why they weren’t on the shelf with all the other wedding cards, his response was that they had had some complaints about people who did not agree with same-sex marriage so they had to be kept in the back.”

This did not please her.

“Card Factory, drag you[r] arses into 2017 and get those cards back on the shop floor!!” she finished the post.

The company responded by apologising for her experience, writing that it was “really sorry for any upset this has caused.”

Today, Card Factory came back to Daw and all the other people who had joined her in complaining about the cards being hidden.

“We would like to assure all our customers that Card Factory is committed in reflecting equality and diversity in our card ranges,” a representative wrote.

“We are extremely proud to have for the last year offered same-sex celebration cards over the Festive, Valentine and Father’s day seasons.”

The spokesperson went on to defend the company from blame, explaining that the cards had been stored in the backroom in advance of their launch.

“Our designers have worked hard on a new range of wedding and celebration cards which were launched in-store this week, including some fantastic same-gender wedding and celebration cards,” they said.

“These are part of the same collection purchased by our customer which was presented from our stock room where they were stored awaiting our much-anticipated launch.

“We at Card Factory are unsure why incorrect information was communicated when our new cards were offered, and have offered our sincere apologies for any upset caused to the customer.”

The spokesperson added that they wanted to “assure all our valued customers and supporters that we at Card Factory have been excitedly awaiting the launch of this new range.”

However, they did not address Daw’s allegation that the assistant had told her the decision to place the cards in the back was down to complaints from homophobic consumers.

The news comes as a multitude of companies – including Smirnoff and Skittles – move to emphasise their support for LGBT rights in and around Pride Month.

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